Local Milford on Sea News Story Archives

3rd June 2009: Where's the Sturt Pond Bird Hide?
I have heard that some local people are struggling to find Sturt Pond's new Bird Hide. this hidden sanctuary for bird watchers overlooks the Sturt Pond area of the Keyhaven nature reserve. The bird hide can be found at the end of the concealed metal gated path between the Marine Cafe & black council sheds at the end of Milford Beach & the begining of Hurst Spit. Rumour has it that a pair of binoculars & a bird book donated on opening, have already been stolen, So, only tell people you can trust!

3rd June 2009: Lymington, best place to live by the sea.
Old news I know, but in June 2008 Savills estate agents published a survey on the best places to live by the sea, taking into account such factors such as schools, crime, employment, amenities, transport links, the quality of the waterfront and the weather. Lymington took first place in the study which included every coastal town and village in Britain. Naturally, I would consider Milford on Sea a part of Lymington in this instance! My guess is that you did not need a survey to know that this is a great place to live! Whilst on the subject of surveys, did you know that in August 2007 Halifax Estate Agents published a survey which identifies the most expensive seaside towns in the UK. Not surprisingly Sandbanks in Dorset is the most expensive seaside resort, with the average home costing £488,761, Cornwall’s Padstow has an average price of 334,385, then in third place was Milford on Sea with an average price £326,277.

3rd June 2009: Westover Hall, Milford on Sea voted Best Seaside Hotel in UK.
The 26th May 2009 edition of OK Magazine published their best six UK seaside hotels. Westover Hall was selected into 1st position. Apparently Mel C of the Spice Girls loves the New Forest, & may have been a guest according to the magazine, although the hotel is to discreet to say, either way - she if obviously a good judge of quality!

5th June 2009: Duck Rescue. Nine ducklings saved at Hordle Cliffs.
What started as an early evening dog walk on Friday 5th June 09 ended in drama & a satisfying ending. As my wife was walking our dogs she spotted a duck with four ducklings out at sea, & could hear some more ducklings in distress under the large piles of giant sea defence rocks below the Milford side of Hordle Cliffs. Unable to reach them she called for assistance (from me & a bucket!). Soon after she was clambering on the rocks & one was saved as she manouvered into a hole between the rocks. The others were spotted deep in the rocks, but could not be reached. As the mother was still in sight (just!), a decision was taken to release our new friend just along the beach. Half an hour later, after plently of surfing (by the duckling), the tide just kept washing her back in, no matter how frantically she tried to swim out. By now her mother had pretty much disappeared. A large hero then emerged & waded into the sea to get the duckling as it approached the beach at last (me!). Just then two lads were passing on their bikes & came over to see the excitement (& my wet shorts). They were immediately determined to help. Henry soon clambered over the rocks & grabbed a stray duckling, the others were grouped together & stuck under a massive rock with narrow access. I certainly could not get in, but unbelievably Craig wanted to try. He squeezed through the very tight gap & soon his head, & most of his body had disappeared, soon after he was handing ducklings one by one to Henry. (I guess he is also good at pot holing.) Eight were now saved & the last one was spotted trying to escape to sea. The lads, not satisfied until they got them all, both wanted the pleasure of a cold swim & within seconds Craig had gone around fifteen metres out to sea to get the last little one. Nine ducklings now all safe thanks to two teenagers doing a really good turn. Don't let anyone tell you our youths are all bad, we met two local gems in Milford on Sea tonight. Thanks guys.
PS: The ducklings were all black & white, (Shelducks), & were certainly cute!

9th June 2009: Gravel quarry battle continues.
The re-run public enquiry starts on Tuesday 9th June 2009 at Lyndhurst Park Hotel. The hearing is scheduled to last for eight days. DAMAGE (Downton & Milford Against Gravel Extraction) are once again opposing permission for a gravel quarry at Downton Manor Farm. The scheme was rejected two years ago, however on appeal (by New Milton Sand & Ballast) a high court judge subsequently squashed the decision & in January Hazel Blears MP ordered the public enquiry to be re-run. DAMAGE link: www.dam-age.co.uk

10th June 2009: Collapsed Milford on Sea sea wall defences rebuilding continues.
As you may recall, on 24th August 2008 several beach huts collapsed into a ten-foot crater which opened up along a west end seafront on Milford on Sea promenade. The collapse was caused by a sudden loss of material into the sea, the bad weather and high tide were the final adverse conditions that sucked out the aggregate from inside the wall which led to its demise. Ironically, the huts fell into a large hole below the concrete walkway just two days before emergency works were apparently due to start. The weakened 50 year old sea wall was to be repaired due to a groyne closest to the White House on Hurst Road having collapsed the previous week. The New Forest District Council, said after the collapse: “We are bringing in two tonnes of shingle and rock to protect the wall and raise the level of the beach to prevent the structure being battered any further. There will be an investigation to assess the concrete structure once the area has been made safe”. The remedial work will total nearly 700,000, plus 20% contingency with the budget coming from the Environment Agency. The work was due to be completed by April 2009, but in June workmen are still on site. The job appears to have become bigger than anticipated & already hundreds of tonnes of gravel and 1000 tonnes of rock have been laid to slow down further erosion. I am unaware when all the work will be completed, but it certainly seems a very through job, which will be well worth it if the promenade and beach huts are then protected for the 25 years as planned. Apparently a longer-term management programme is to be developed by the council which is likely to take at least one to two years and may cost about 3-4million, including beach recharge, foundation engineering and groyne’s. Hopefully this will eventual be approved, as it is better to spend on our seafront than on MP’s expenses!

11th June 2009: Sand Martin colony in Hordle Cliffs.
This may be old news to our local bird watchers, but there are Sand Martin’s nesting in the cliffs between the White House & the ramp down to Hordle Beach. Last evening the sky was busy with activity as they flitted in & out of their nests for food. Apparently the sand martins are with us from March to October before they leave for their African wintering grounds. According to the RSPB: “Sand martins usually nest in natural sheer cliff faces on river bends or in man-made sites such as gravel or sand pits. Sand Martins use vertical earth and sand banks soft enough for burrowing, in open areas. Sites are abandoned once the face slumps, becomes weathered (forming a resistant crust), overgrown with vegetation, or accessible to predators such as weasels. The Sand Martin appears on the RSPB ‘Amber List’ which means that it is a “Species with unfavourable conservation status in Europe”. It appears that around the country a lot of ‘manmade nesting is built to encourage sand martin colonies, but we are lucky enough to have them right here in their natural habitat.

11th June 2009: New Monks fish restaurant coming soon in Milford on Sea village.
You may have noticed over the past months some boarding on the window of Monks Fishmongers in the High Street? Well, passing recently I discovered that the boarding conceals a new staircase, which I understand will lead to a new flat with a new fish restaurant at the back on the ground floor. I am not sure when the new restaurant will open, but whenever it is I am sure it will be an exciting addition to our village. ||| Rumour has it that the Marine Cafe on the seafront in Hurst Road will be opening later this year. The retro ’art deco’ style building is currently a shell, & already looks quite impressive. The buildings design replicates the original building on the site, which is a nice idea. We understand that there will be a bar, & that the restaurant will have a varied menu at reasonable prices to encourage regular visits. The views to the Needles, Solent & Christchurch Bay will be spectacular & I am already looking forward to sitting on the terrace with a cold beer in hand! We already have some super places to eat in the village, & soon Milford on Sea will have a collection of excellent restaurants to rival some major towns! Sounds good to me!

12th June 2009: New ramp to Milford on Sea beach promenade.
Strolling along the beachfront last night we spotted a new ramp being built at the west end of the beach promenade. (Near where the beach huts disappeared into the sea last August!) This is in addition to the new set of steps that have already been built nearby. It seems the council is taking the opportunity to further improve the promenade whilst completing the sea defense repairs. Nice one lads!

15th June 2009: New pharmacy opens in Milford on Sea War Memorial Hospital.
A new and independent pharmacy has recently opened at the War Memorial Hospital in Sea Road. Impressively it's currently opening from 7am to 11pm on weekdays, 8am to 10pm on Saturdays, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays. There is, of course, free parking adjacent. We now have an new alternative to Boots in the High Street & they are open most hours of the day!

16th June 2009: Beware of Milford on Sea Tides doggies!
I just came across a story from late last year, about a dog getting into distress whilst swimming. Bailey the black Labrador went for a swim off of Milford on Sea beach when he got in to difficulties. Before long the tide had pulled him one & half miles out to sea & towards the Isle of Wight. A large crowd gathered on the beach and along the cliff top, some using binoculars to help track his movements and a lifeboat called. Luckily after an hour he drifted back down the coast towards shore, where he was able to be pulled to safety – cold, but safe. The dog’s owner, who was from New Milton, was full of praise for everyone who had stayed to support her until Bailey was safe. Over the coming weeks we shall have many visitors, let's hope their dogs enjoy their swim & do not suffer any similar trauma’s. See the full story on weblink on news page.

17th June 2009: Footage from paraglider above Milford on Sea.
I found this interesting piece of film showing Milford on Sea from above, with an eventual landing on Hurst Spit. I am guessing the guy was in a paraglider, or hang glider with a remote control camera. The landing at the end is quite good to watch. You can view the film by clicking on the website icon on the news page.

19th June 2009: Milford on Sea 2nd in Seaside Property League.
Property website Zoopla.co.uk, have compiled the Seaside Property League by comparing average home values and property price changes for all UK coastal resorts from 1st June 2008 to 1st June 2009.
Rock in Cornwall has topped the league, with average home values currently standing at £548,621 over £370,000 more than average coastal values researched across the UK. Despite seeing values drop 12.9% over the past year, Rock was the leader, ahead of desirable Milford on Sea in Hampshire which had an average proery value of £335,030. Golfing hotspot North Berwick in East Lothian (average 293,598) came in third, Woolacombe in Devon was fourth in the league with values of £286,730, whilst the top five was rounded off by Southwold in Suffolk which had a current average property value of £285,468.

20th June 2009: Round the Island Race 2009. A spectators view from Hurst Castle Spit, Milford on Sea.
The night before the Round the Island race we had debated the best way to travel & what best to take, we concluded that the ferry would not be running that early & that a fried breakfast afterwards would be best. So, off we set; the two of us, two friends, two dogs, flasks, cameras & binoculars. An overcast 7.30am start, saw us soon reach the Spit for a gentle stroll along to Hurst Castle (Yes, I had forgotten how far it is on pebbles!) Oh joy, a few hundred yards into the spit we saw the ferry full of smiling race goers! Luckily, my wife reminded me that the walk was doing me good. (This of course gave me immediate happiness & comfort!) The Round the Island Race is a spectacle is hard to describe, & really is worth experiencing. As the crowd started to gather the first (giant) yacht passed at around 8.30am. The mighty yacht was followed by an ever gathering stream of colourful racing boats. Not sure how, but the stones are particularly comfortable around Hurst Castle, so time just flew. As the skies brightened. a mass of yachts appeared & the fleet of around 1800 boats continued to pass for literally hours. By now the crowd was around a few hundred, & we realised that a number of the people were obviously better planners than us, as they sparked up ad hoc BBQ’s & sizzled their sausages contently. We even saw one family with chocolate cake; top choice! Just like the crowd, the yachts were in all sizes, ages, & shapes! A great morning watching the worlds largest yacht race, was nearly rounded off by a fried breakfast at Polly’s Pantry, but as it was now 2.10, we were refused breakfast because they stop serving them at 12.00! So, lunch it was then, sausage, beans, egg & chips with bread, butter & tea. Hummm, sounds a bit like breakfast, but don’t tell them. We have no idea who won the race, but I don’t think anyone really cares; it seems whether on the water or on the beachside everyone was enjoying themselves, & life doesn’t really get much better. If you haven’t been before, it is worth a visit next year. For us the notes have already been made; to go by ferry & to take a BBQ! *You can view our pictures from the day on the Gallery Page.

29th June 2009: How Milford on Sea used to be!
I suppose this is really 'old news!', but whilst surfing the web I came across a website containing a few old images of Milford on Sea. There is charming ariel view photograph of the beachfront & village from 1812. Please click the website icon at the bottom of this page to see them. Another source of old village images is the Francis Frith Collection. They have quite a few photos from the fifties & sixties. (Website: www.francisfrith.com/milford-on-sea/photos/) If you have some old photo's of Milford on Sea, & would like to share them with others on this site please send to David at: david@milfordonsea.org